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Lancaster should pursue revitalization district

Various downtown organizations, including the Eagle-Gazette, have asked area residents what they want to see in downtown Lancaster, and one of the most common answers has been some sort of night life — restaurants or other establishments that will stay open into the evening hours.

Now, Lancaster City Council is considering a proposal that could do exactly that, one which has done that in other communities. We think council members should jump at the opportunity as it would generate more excitement about downtown than we’ve seen in years.

The proposal is to create a community revitalization district in downtown’s central business district. That designation would allow for as many as 15 new liquor permits for the area — permits that would specify the business must earn at least 75 percent of its income from sales of food, not alcohol.

Some have lamented the notion that alcohol would be the economic driver, but that’s not really how it is. Most of the sit-down restaurants lining Memorial Drive have liquor permits, and they certainly aren’t considered bars. These wouldn’t be any different. A few people even have suggested having more alcohol available near the Pearl House could be problematic but, because the Pearl House already is across the street from a bar, we don’t share that concern.

Indeed, we see far more positives to the plan. Like many downtowns, Lancaster has its share of empty store fronts, and there is space for potential new construction as well. Other communities that have created such a revitalization district have seen new restaurants not only come to their downtowns, but stay there. If downtown Lancaster has that experience, that would mean more people coming downtown after traditional business hours and staying there for an hour or two, at the least. That only can mean good things for other businesses.

Just imagine the Mithoff Hotel was renovated and converted into a new concept restaurant, a nice restaurant was placed on the Lancaster Glass site, or the South Broad Street hub was dotted with a few eateries.

One concern we do have is this would create competition for the restaurants already established downtown, many of which don’t have liquor permits. That’s a legitimate worry, but we think the increased traffic might offset that. Besides, those establishments are quality businesses with great food that can compete with anyone. We think they only would stand to prosper — and besides, they also could apply for one of the permits.

City Council will take up the issue again Monday, and we encourage it to do two things. First, we think it should pass the legislation needed to create the revitalization district. Second, we suggest council start looking, in earnest, at solutions to the potential parking problems such a district could create. People today are confused about where and when they can park, and adding a bunch of restaurants only would compound that problem. Although it’s too soon to start financing solutions, it’s not too soon to start looking for options.

As Lancaster-Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce President Travis Markwood said, needing a place for all of downtown’s visitors to park would be a welcome problem.